When, how should Stanislaus County economy reopen? Coronavirus issues discussed Tuesday
Stanislaus County leaders will hold a major discussion Tuesday on reopening the local economy and whether the county can comply with the state’s criteria for a safe reopening.
Supervisors are faced with pressure from business owners, cities and unemployed residents to allow reopening of non-essential businesses that were closed by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shutdown order in March, which was credited with slowing the spread of coronavirus.
The COVID-19 illness has killed more than 2,700 people in California, including 21 in this county.
The county’s conservative leaders turn a listening ear to those urgent pleas to reopen. And at least one supervisor enthusiastically agrees.
“It is time to end this shutdown,” Supervisor Jim DeMartini said Monday. “It is just wrecking our economy. … We heard all this that millions of people would die and our hospitals would be overwhelmed. None of this ever happened.”
Still, there are plenty of people who wonder if the coronavirus outbreak has slowed enough to safely begin lifting restrictions. The county has recorded seven deaths tied to COVID-19 since May 1. State health officials want to see zero coronavirus deaths over a 14-day period as one of the criteria for lifting stay-at-home orders.
On May 4, Newsom announced local jurisdictions could have more control in taking steps to reopen commerce and public activities if they meet criteria for testing, demonstrate the ability to quarantine people infected or exposed to known cases, are protecting seniors and others at high risk, and can handle a new surge of hospital patients.
Last week, supervisors took action to expand a contact tracing team from 35 to almost 50 full-time personnel. The county continues to work on other requirements of modifying the state’s stay-at-home order, but there’s no firm understanding of when all the requirements can be met.
In the meantime, businesses are struggling. People are out of work. And cities fear the impacts of losing tax revenue for funding vital services.
“Forecasts predict as many as 40 percent of established small businesses may not survive California’s COVID-19 shutdown,” Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold said in a recent social media post. “I hear our residents pleas daily but they fall on deaf ears in Sacramento.”
Brandvold wrote that it’s past time for reopening businesses in Modesto. “Your local leaders are trying to make that happen as soon as possible.”
County leaders allowed a limited a number of businesses, such as dog-grooming, to open last and had dangled a promise of bolder steps this week to start loosening restrictions on other business sectors.
But the state Department of Public Health issued a memo Thursday that, county officials said, provides no latitude for county health officers, who maintain the local rules for controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Stanislaus County isn’t meeting the criteria
Supervisor Vito Chiesa said Monday: “It’s pretty clear we can’t meet the requirements (for opening) as presented by the governor.”
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday could decide to send a letter to the state outlining local progress in containing the outbreak and asking for a variance so it can speed up with loosening the state-at-home order.
The county has stressed that social distancing and other precautions would be an important part of reopening dine-in restaurants, hair salons, retail stores and other businesses.
Large-group gatherings and athletic events won’t likely be part of a county reopening schedule for six months, one supervisor said.
Chiesa said, at some point, the governor will have to ease restrictions for counties to start the “Stage 2” process of a safe reopening. As an example, large counties like Los Angeles may never meet the requirement for no deaths in a two-week period, as the disease wanes in the summer and comes back in the fall months.
“At some point, the governor will ease up restrictions for larger counties,” Chiesa said. “Of course, we are medium-size. We are in the middle.”
Supervisor questions Newsom’s authority
DeMartini said he wanted a legal opinion on the governor’s authority to close businesses and eliminate free enterprise over COVID-19, which historically has not been among the world’s worst epidemics.
“I have allergies pretty bad and I can’t even go in for a allergy shot,” the supervisor said. “They could wear a mask in the office to give me a shot. I hope the board has some backbone to end this thing.”
On the other hand, experts predict a new surge in infections, deaths and hospitalizations when people return to shopping centers and go from working at home to working in the office again.
A research institute at University of Washington projects the death toll nationwide will reach 137,000 by August, up from 80,000 as of Monday, as states loosen their restrictions. The same research center is predicting total deaths in California to rise to more than 6,000 by August.
The Board of Supervisors will hold its regular meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Board meetings are closed due to the pandemic. Those wishing to comment on an agenda item may call the board clerk in advance at (209) 525-4494 for instructions on speaking via telephone line. Meetings are broadcast on Modesto’s cable channel 7 or there’s a live stream of the meeting at www.stancounty.com.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
